NATO PLANE CRASH KILLS 4 IN AFGHANISTAN

KABUL, Afghanistan 
A NATO plane crash in southern Afghanistan killed four international troops on Saturday, the same day the Taliban announced its spring offensive and said it will target military and diplomatic sites with suicide bombers and infiltrate enemy forces to conduct deadly insider attacks.

April has been the deadliest month this year across the country where Afghan security forces are increasingly taking the lead on the battlefield of the more than 11-year-old war.

The Afghan Defense Ministry said its security forces were prepared for the Taliban’s new campaign, which was to start today.

Insurgents have escalated attacks to gain power and influence ahead of next year’s presidential election and the planned withdrawal of most U.S. and other foreign combat troops by the end of 2014.

And U.S.-backed efforts to try to reconcile the Islamic militant movement with the Afghan government are gaining little traction.

The Taliban did not immediately claim responsibility for the plane crash. NATO said initial reports indicated no enemy activity in the area where the plane went down. Coalition personnel secured the site and were investigating the cause of the crash.

NATO did not identify the victims, or say exactly where the crash occurred in Afghanistan.